A brave Dean Elgar eschewed elegance for effectiveness as he sent South Africa to a creditable seven-wicket series-leveling victory in the second Test against India on Thursday. The defeat was India’s first at the Bull Ring in 30 years. Chasing a target of 240, Skipper Elgar, who was willing to look ugly and forgettable in terms of aesthetics generally associated with lefties, passed his bat with an undefeated 96 to set a thrilling final test on to be deployed in the Newlands in Cape Town, starting January 11
When Aiden Markram and Keegan Petersen gave him good support on the third day, Rassie Van der Dussen (40), with a score of 82 points, secured victory on a rainy fourth day, marking an unfavorable start for the India captaincy for KL Rahul, who needs to be groomed for future leadership.
Elgar had soaked up all the pressure and hostility on the third night which had literally dulled the Indian attack and Mohammed Siraj’s injury in a tricky chase became a huge factor.
The skipper of Proteas had taken a few blows to the head, a few to the chest, a few more to the knuckle, one to the shoulder, all of which were like badges of honor for a batter more conforming to the “Shivanarine Chanderpaul School of Batsmanship” instead of Brian Lara’s.
No lip service could upset Elgar as he grinned, smiled, and went about his business, further frustrating the visitors.
For posterity, when one remembers this test match, it will be very difficult to remember any of its 10 limits, but one will also not be able to forget the game, simply because of an exhibit on how to break the pain barrier that seemed to are ingrained in Elgar’s DNA.
In hindsight, another 50 runs would have helped India immensely and while the bowlers had one rare bad innings in their tenure, the blame should be entirely on the batters who haven’t really set the stage on fire for a long time apart from some good individual performances.
In fact, last season was more about a good start, except for the second innings of this game. In the latter context, India’s low first-inning total of 202 became India’s downfall.
Cheteshwar Pujara had spoken in the media interaction after the game on the third day about the first hour being useful for hitting but he had not taken into account the rain which would lead to a lot of moisture but also wet the ball making it difficult to grasp.
What worked for India in the previous three bowling innings in this series is exactly where they fell short that day.
There were too many border balls, the length wasn’t right at all in that first hour of the fourth afternoon, it was like playing into South Africa’s hands. 16 wides, including border byes, didn’t help either.
India’s strategy at the start was mind-boggling as Ravichandran Ashwin (11-2-20-1) was handed the ball along with Jasprit Bumrah (17-2-70-0), who was very headstrong on the third night.
Rahul could get some leeway as it is his first game as India captain, but starting the day with Ashwin under cloudy conditions and a wet pitch certainly deserves some explanation from the team think tank.
Especially when both head coach Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli were in the dressing room, it’s impossible to believe that the young captain was not given any instruction on the combination to use at the start.
A drive off Ashwin made Elgar’s second half-century in two games and the off-spinner couldn’t be faulted as he tried to bowl a little flatter to keep the batters in check.
The wet ball also added to India’s concerns, with both Bumrah and Mohammad Shami (17-3-55-1) attempting to bowl short, resulting in at least two border byes over the head of Rishabh Pant.
However, Van der Dussen, who had looked shaky last night, came into his own with a flick and made consecutive Shami deliveries and the bowler, in sheer frustration, threw a bouncer that lasted four byes.
Shardul Thakur, who enjoyed a ‘midas touch’ in the first three days, was then knocked back and covered by the young Van der Dussen when Kohli, sitting in the boundary push-out, appeared to slump in his seat with a grumpy look.
A flurry of boundaries, which had brought the target down to less than 70, suddenly brought back some urgency. It took Thakur and Shami nearly an hour to find the right length they had been looking for from the third night.
Shami landed one full length to fumble Van der Dussen awkwardly and Cheteshwar Pujara, in the first slip, held on to a regulatory catch.
By this time, however, the target had been reduced to 65 and when Thakur missed a heavy reflex return from Temba Bavuma, the writing was on the wall for the Indians.
promoted
When little Bavuma sent Bumrah through the covers, the shoulders finally slumped for most players.
Kohli’s presence in the series decider is a must for India as Rahul, despite being good, looks like a work in progress. But whether Kohli will be fully fit is a million dollar question. PTI KHS PM PM
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